Monday, June 12, 2017

Coffee and Provocation

That's a Pretty Wild Trick
In 1988, workers found a 5-year-old bottlenose dolphin trapped in a canal lock in South Australia. During rehab, they put the animal in with trained dolphins who performed for oceanarium visitors, and the wild dolphin learned the "tail walking" trick from them. When the dolphin was released back into the wild, he taught the tail walking trick to other dolphins. Despite the fact that the behavior has no known utility in the wild, other dolphins have taught other dolphins. Today, 25 years following the original wild dolphin's release, and its death in 2009, the trick is still being passed on. While dolphin story is pretty extraordinary, many birds are quick mimics, and escaped parrots that have learned to mimic human language have long been known to teach the same to their wild brethren.

Preventing Autoimmune Disorders
There is a very weak association between autoimmune disorders and vaccines, and a much higher correlation between autoimmune disorders and the diseases that vaccines prevent.

Predator Control Can Make a World of Difference
Population decline and local extirpation, or even extinction, of ground nesting birds can happen absent sensible predator control.

The Old Man of Morocco
Researchers have found the oldest Homo sapiens remains on record in Morocco. The 300,000-year old remains suggest that the "Out of East Africa" theory may be wrong, as these bones are 100,000 years older and suggest a continent-wide phenomenon.